Sports

Lester And Nava Carry Red Sox Past Mariners 6-1
Jon Lester pitched his second complete game of the season and Daniel Nava and Kelly Shoppach each homered, leading the Boston Red Sox to a 6-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Monday.
David Ortiz and Adrian Gonzalez added consecutive RBI doubles for the Red Sox, who won their fourth straight at home. Boston is on its longest home winning streak since capturing nine straight last July.
The Mariners, on the second stop of a four city, 11-game trip, have dropped four of six. Seattle entered the day with the AL's second-worst batting average at .235.
The Red Sox opened just 4-11 at Fenway Park.
Lester (2-3) didn't allow a runner past second base until Justin Smoak doubled, moving Ichiro Suzuki to third with the one out in the ninth.
Kyle Seager's grounder scored the Mariners' run.
 
NBA-PLAYOFFS
Thunder throttle Lakers...76ers even series
It was a blowout win for the Oklahoma City Thunder last night, and a tight victory for the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Thunder's 119-90 rout of the Los Angeles Lakers was decided early in the second half. Oklahoma City carried a 15-point lead into the third quarter before opening the period on a 15-2 run. The lead swelled to 35 as the Thunder easily took the opener of the NBA's Western Conference semifinals series.
Russell Westbrook contributed 27 points and nine assists to the laugher, while teammate Kevin Durant added 25 points.
Andrew Bynum had 20 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers, who will stay in Oklahoma City for Game 2 on Wednesday.
The 76ers blew an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter at Boston Monday night, one game after coughing up a 10-point lead in the final period of a loss to the Celtics. This time, the Sixers rallied to tie the Eastern Conference semifinal series at a game apiece.
Jrue Holiday scored 18 points and Evan Turner provided four huge points in the final minute as the Sixers pulled out an 82-81 win over the Celtics. Turner hit the go-ahead layup with 40.4 seconds left and added a pair of free throws in the waning moments. Turner finished with 10 points, and Andre Iguodala added 13, seven assists and six rebounds as the 76ers won a playoff game in Boston for the first time since Game 7 of the 1982 Eastern Conference finals.
Ray Allen paced the Celtics with 17 points and Kevin Garnett added 15 and 12 rebounds. But Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo combined for just 15 points on 6-of-21 shooting.
Game 3 is Wednesday in Philadelphia.
 
NBA-HEAT-BOSH OUT
Bosh sidelined...Griffin iffy...Irving honored
Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh says he doesn't believe he'll play again until the Eastern Conference finals, if the team gets that far.
An MRI performed Monday confirms Bosh strained a lower abdominal muscle in Game 1 of the conference semifinals against the Indiana Pacers Sunday. He didn't play after being injured late in the first half as he drove for a dunk and was fouled late in the first half.
The Heat say Bosh is out indefinitely and will miss at least Game 2 of the Pacers series. Bosh says the season will have to be extended for him to play again.
Also in the NBA, Clippers forward Blake Griffin says he will play in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals tonight at San Antonio even though Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro is making no guarantees just yet. Griffin said Monday he feels about "75 to 80" percent healthy after a sprained left knee sidelined the All-Star for nearly the entire fourth quarter in a Game 7 victory at Memphis on Sunday.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving will be presented with the NBA Rookie of the Year award Tuesday morning. Irving led the Cavaliers and all league rookies in scoring at 18.5 points a game after being taken first overall in last year's draft.
 
NHL PLAYOFFS
Rangers open conference finals with shutout win
The New York Rangers took Game 1 of the NHL's Eastern Conference finals by playing one of their best periods of the postseason.
The Blueshirts held New Jersey to four shots while scoring three times in the final period to beat the Devils 3-0. Henrik Lundvist finished with 21 saves and helped the Rangers kill off the Devils' four power plays en route to his second shutout of the postseason and fifth of his playoff career.
Neither team scored until Chris Kreider set up Dan Girardi 53 seconds into the third period. Kreider added the insurance goal by beating Martin Brodeur with 12 minutes to play. Artem Anisimov added the empty-netter with 87 seconds remaining.
Kreider, Girardi and Anisimov each finished with a goal and an assist for the Rangers, who host Game 2 on Wednesday.
 
NHL-CAPITALS-HUNTER
Capitals make coaching change
 Dale Hunter has stepped down as coach of the Washington Capitals, telling the team he wants to return to his family in Canada.
The development comes two days after the Capitals were eliminated from the playoffs by the Rangers in Game 7.
Hunter was hired in November to replace the fired Bruce Boudreau and went 30-23-7 during the remainder of the regular season, helping the Capitals squeeze into the playoffs.
 
NHL-BLUE JACKETS-COACH
Columbus keeps Richards
Todd Richards has agreed to a two-year contract to stay on as coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets after he took over in mid-season for the fired Scott Arniel.
The Blue Jackets removed the "interim" label from his job title after Richards put an improved product on the ice. General manager Scott Howson called Richards the right man to lead the team. Despite finishing with the NHL's worst record, Columbus won seven of its last 11 games under the 45-year old Richards.
 
MLB-SCHEDULE
Yanks win in Birdland again...Reds knock Braves off division lead
The New York Yankees continue to make themselves at home in Camden Yards.
 
The Yankees are 4-0 at Baltimore this season and 26-9 there since May of 2008 after scoring the last five runs in an 8-5 win over the Orioles. Mark Teixeira was in a 5-for-33 skid before he smacked a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the seventh inning. Curtis Granderson also went deep and Alex Rodriguez had three hits as the Yanks moved into third place in the American League East, 1 1-2 games behind the Orioles and Tampa Bay.
 
In other American League action, Luke Scott and Sean Rodriguez drove in two runs apiece as Tampa Bay slammed Toronto 7-1. Ben Zobrist homered to back Cesar Ramos, who picked up his first major league win after replacing the injured Jeff Niemann in the second inning.
 
Bruce Chen pitched into the seventh and Kansas City scored two unearned runs in the sixth inning of a 3-1 verdict over Texas. Alicides Escobar  furnished a go-ahead, two-run single right after third baseman Adrian Beltre's throwing error with two out.
 
Cleveland squandered a 4-1 lead in the eighth before Shin-Soo Choo's RBI single in the ninth gave the Indians a 5-4 triumph at Minnesota. Indians starter Jeanmar Gomez had to settle for a no-decision after limiting the Twins to an unearned run and three hits in seven innings.
 
Dayan Viciedo and Adam Dunn homered as the Chicago White Sox outscored Detroit 7-5. Viciedo also hit a go-ahead, two-run single to finish with four RBIs.
 
Jon Lester fired an eight-hitter and Boston captured its fourth straight home win by beating Seattle 6-1. Daniel Nava and Kelly Shoppach each homered, and David Ortiz and Adrian Gonzalez added consecutive RBI singles.
 
Tyson Ross allowed five hits in six innings as Oakland blanked the Los Angeles Angels 5-0. Josh Reddick smacked a solo homer and Seth Smith hit a two-run double in the Athletics' fifth victory in their last six road games.
 
Over to the National League, where Brandon Phillips and Chris Heisey hit RBI doubles in the eighth inning to lead Cincinnati's 3-1 victory in Atlanta. The game was tied 1-1 until the Reds rallied off Jonny Venters after Randall Delgado limited them to an unearned run and four hits in 6 2-3 innings.
 
The Braves loss, coupled with Washington's victory, puts the Nationals back atop the NL East.
 
Bryce Harper belted his first career homer before Chad Tracy and Xavier Nady added eighth-inning blasts in the Nationals' 8-5 win over San Diego. But the Nats lost another catcher as Sandy Leon sprained his right ankle in his major league debut, two days after Wilson Ramos tore the ACL in his right knee.
 
Also in the National League, Clayton Kershaw scattered four hits in seven innings as the Los Angeles Dodgers won their fifth in a row, 3-1 over Arizona. Kershaw outpitched Ian Kennedy after exchanging brushback pitches with his fellow ace.
 
San Francisco and Colorado were tied 1-1 until Buster Posey and Brett Pill hit RBI singles in the eighth to lift the Giants past the Rockies 3-2. Ryan Vogelsong had to accept a no-decision after holding the Rockies to a run and three hits in seven innings.
 
Miguel Batista tossed seven shutout innings to lead the New York Mets past Milwaukee 3-1. Daniel Murphy had an RBI single for the Mets, who also scored on a squeeze bunt and a botched rundown to win despite just three hits.
 
Pittsburgh had lost eight straight to Miami before Brad Lincoln allowed four hits in six innings of the Pirates' 3-2 win over the Marlins. Rod Barajas homered and Pedro Alvarez stroked an RBI double to support Lincoln's first start of the season.
 
Joe Blanton allowed a run and six hits in seven-plus innings as Philadelphia downed Houston 5-1. Placido Polanco homered for his 2,000th career hit, and Freddy Galvis went 3-for-4 with two RBIs.
 
St. Louis has a four-game home losing streak after Alfonso Soriano singled home the tiebreaking run in the eighth inning of the Chicago Cubs' 6-4 triumph over the Cardinals. Bryan LaHair had three hits for the Cubs, including a two-run homer that snapped a 1-for-14 skid.
 
MLB-INDIANS MOVES
 
The Los Angeles Dodgers will place outfielder Matt Kemp on the disabled list due to a strained left hamstring. Kemp had played in 399 straight games before missing last night's game, ending what was the longest consecutive game streak in the majors.
 
Also in baseball, the government's star witness in the Roger Clemens perjury retrial took the stand Monday and recalled the time he allegedly gave the seven-time Cy Young Award winner a "booty shot" of steroids. Brian McNamee told the jury that he injected one of baseball's most successful pitchers with steroids about eight to 10 times when they were with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1998. Clemens is charged with lying to Congress when he testified in 2008 that he had never used steroids or human growth hormone.
 
The Cleveland Indians have designated struggling reliever Dan Wheeler for assignment, one day after he gave up six runs on five hits in one inning of a loss to the Boston Red Sox. Wheeler had an 8.76 ERA in 12 1-3 innings.
The Tampa Bay Rays have placed outfielder Desmond Jennings on the 15-day disabled list and recalled utilityman Stephen Vogt from Triple-A Durham. Jennings sprained his left knee May 6 and is one of seven Rays currently on the DL.
 
Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau took some swings in early batting practice Monday and says his sore left wrist is feeling good as he gets closer to being eligible to come off the disabled list. Morneau is eligible to come off the DL on Wednesday and says he doesn't think he'll need a rehab assignment to work on his timing.
 
Colorado Rockies catcher Eliezer Alfonzo has had his 100-game suspension dropped by Major League Baseball and the players' union because of the same procedural issues that came up in the Ryan Braun case. Alfonzo had already missed 48 games for a positive drug test last year.
 
Kansas City Royals lefty Danny Duffy has been diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow, one day after facing only three batters in a start against the Chicago White Sox. Duffy was 2-2 with a 3.90 ERA in six starts this season.
 
And a person familiar with the decision tells The Associated Press that baseball management has fired Shyam Das, the arbitrator who overturned Ryan Braun's drug suspension in February. Das had been baseball's permanent arbitrator since 1999.
 
NFL-NFLPA GRIEVANCE
 
Bounty grievance to be heard
 
NFL players' union will have its grievance against the league in the Saints bounties case heard Wednesday by an arbitrator.
The union claims league commissioner Roger Goodell doesn't have the authority to hand out discipline for player conduct that occurred before the current collective bargaining agreement was finalized last August.
The NFLPA also maintains that appeals for on-field behavior should be heard by appeals officers Art Shell and Ted Cottrell, not the commissioner.
Four players were suspended by Goodell, including linebacker Jonathan Vilma for the 2012 season, after the league's investigation uncovered the bounties program.
 
NFL-VIKINGS
Minnesota governor signs off on Vikes stadium
Gov. Mark Dayton has signed off on a hard-fought agreement to build the Minnesota Vikings a $975 million stadium at the downtown Minneapolis site of the team's current home, the Metrodome.
The Vikings hope to move into their new home by 2016, and will sign a 30-year lease to play there. The team will pay just under half the cost of the $975 million construction project, with the state and city of Minneapolis paying the rest.
 
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-HALL OF FAME
Heisman Trophy winner and BYU star Ty Detmer will be among the upcoming, 17-member class in the College Football Hall of Fame.
The 1990 Heisman Trophy winner was one of the most prolific passers in college football history, setting then-NCAA records with 15,031 yards passing and 121 touchdown passes.
The rest of the class of 2012 will be announced Tuesday.
 
HORSE RACING-PREAKNESS
Bodemister in, Hansen out of Preakness
Bodemeister will compete in Saturday's running of the Preakness Stakes in an attempt to even the score with Kentucky Derby winner I'll Have Another.
Trainer Bob Baffert says Bodemeister came out of the Derby well after losing a stretch duel with I'll Have Another.
However, Juvenile champ Hansen will not be making the trip to Baltimore for the second jewel of the Triple Crown. Owner Kendall Hansen says it's not in the best interest of his horse to run on just two weeks rest after he finished ninth in the Derby.
 
CAA says Rams haven't told them of conference move.
Colonial Athletic Association Commissioner Tom Yeager says he has not been contacted by Virginia Commonwealth University with any news that the Rams are leaving the conference.
CBSSports.com cited "industry sources" and reported Monday that VCU is joining the Atlantic 10 in 2013.